Merlin’s New Keel Tastes Saltwater
Like Latitude 38 itself, Bill Lee’s 68-ft Merlin is pushing 40 years old. The mighty sled’s initial launching coincided with our first issue and was covered therein. We’ve always had a soft spot in our heart for Merlin so were thrilled when Bill Lee bought her last October and had her trucked home to Santa Cruz from the Great Lakes. Lee’s intention is to sail her in the 2017 Transpac. Bill and Merlin set the Transpac record in 1977 and held it for 20 years.
The first project was to replace the modern canting keel with a fixed one. After much searching for something appropriate, Lee finally had a new one built from scratch. The keel has been installed, the boat reassembled, and the rig stepped. Yesterday, Merlin was launched in the harbor at Santa Cruz, and the new keel tasted saltwater for the first time.
Jeremy Leonard shot a video interview with Lee at the dockside, and we’ve shared it on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Latitude38.